John Butler (Fort Myers, FL), Robin Greenstein (New York, NY) and Martin Swinger (Augusta, ME) were named as winners of the 2015 South Florida Folk Festival Singer-Songwriter Competition. [To continue reading this short article, click on the headline.]
New York-based female Americana roots trio Red Molly had the most-played album (The Red Album) on folk radio during 2014, while Indiana-based singer-songwriter Tim Grimm had the most-played song (“King of the Folksingers”), according to charts compiled by Richard Gillmann from radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in all folk-based music on the radio. Pete Seeger, the American folk music icon who died last January at 94, was the most-played artist. [The 2014 year-end FOLKDJ-L charts, which are based on reported airplay by 184 different radio DJs, are posted on AcousticMusicScene.com with permission. To view them, click on the headline.]
Category winners have been named in the 31st annual Mid-Atlantic Song Contest, sponsored by the Songwriters’ Association of Washington (SAW), while overall grand, second and third prize winners will be announced during an awards gala on January 25, 2015 at Jammin’ Java in Vienna, Virginia. [To continue reading the article and see the list of winners, finalists and those receiving honorable mention for songs entered in the contest’s folk/acoustic category, click on the headline.]
More than 150 acts, from solo artists to full bands, will be selected to showcase at various venues over two nights during the eighth annual Singer-Songwriter Cape May music business conference set for March 27-28, 2015 in the historic Victorian-lined New Jersey seaside resort community. The deadline for singer-songwriters in all genres to submit showcase applications via ReverbNation, Sonicbids or U.S. Mail is Jan. 4. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
Several thousand people are expected to converge on New York City, Jan. 9-13, 2015, for the annual conference of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP). Now in its 58th year, the global performing arts marketplace and conference will feature more than 1000 artist showcases, a large EXPO Hall featuring nearly 400 exhibitors, daily plenary sessions and keynote speakers, and a wide array of professional development workshops and forums. For the first time in its history, select sessions and plenaries will live stream free for industry professionals, artists and the public. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
Brother Sun, Gathering Time, Hardin Burns, Harpeth Rising, Passerine and David Roth headline the 2015 South Florida Folk Festival. Presented by the nonprofit Broward Folk Club, the festival takes place Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 17-18. More than 40 musicians will perform on two stages at Fort Lauderdale’s Hugh Taylor Birch State Park (3109 E. Sunrise Blvd., just west of A1A) over the weekend. To continue reading the article -- which includes the complete artist lineup and mention of the 12 finalists in the festival's singer-songwriter competition -- click on the headline.
Nominees in 83 categories have been named for the 57th Annual Grammy Awards. Of particular interest to readers of AcousticMusicScene.com are the nominees in the American Roots Music Field. [To continue reading this article and see the list of nominees in the American Roots Music Field, click on the headline.]
The River & the Thread, a collection of original songs that connect and re-connect Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash to the American South where she was born and from which her family hails, was the most-played album on Americana radio during 2014. That’s the word from the Americana Music Association, whose year-end Top 10 and Top 100 Albums of the Year are based on the records reported to the Americana Airplay Chart during the period of December 2, 2013 through December 1, 2014. [To view a listing of the top 100 albums of the year, click on the headline.]
The Rose of No Man’s Land by Nell Robinson was the most-played album on folk radio during November 2014 according to charts compiled from radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in all folk-based music on the radio. [The November 2014 FOLKDJ-L top albums and songs charts are posted with permission on AcousticMusicScene.com. To view them, click on the headline.]
Peter, Paul and Mary’s music and social activism helped to shape a generation. Through the years, the seminal folk trio has touched the hearts and consciences of millions of people worldwide, won five Grammy Awards, received eight gold and five platinum records, had 13 top 40 hits, and been the subject of five PBS documentaries. A new one entitled 50 Years with Peter, Paul and Mary has begun airing on PBS television stations throughout the U.S. [To continue reading this article, click on the headline.]
The 10th annual Canadian Folk Music Awards were presented in Ottawa on Saturday evening, Nov. 29. Winners for 2014 were named in 19 categories, while recipients also were honored with special Innovator and Unsung Hero awards during a bilingual gala and reception at the Bronson Centre. [To continue reading this article and see the complete list of 2014 Canadian Folk Music Award winners, click on the headline.]
More than 800 performing artists, presenters, promoters, agents and managers, folk DJs and others actively engaged in contemporary and traditional folk music will converge on the Hudson Valley Resort in Kerhonkson, New York, Nov. 13-16, 2014, for the 20th Annual Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference. AcousticMusicScene.com will again have a major presence as it hosts afternoon and late-night song swaps, in addition to its popular Midnight Hoot at the close of the conference’s first day. [To continue reading the article and see the AcousticMusicScene.com showcase schedule, click on the headline.]
